MANHATTAN, N.Y. ““ There was nothing fulfilling about the UCLA men’s basketball team’s Thanksgiving journey to New York City.
The Big Apple was bustling with holiday excitement as parades and shopping extravaganzas raged outside.
But inside the Bruins’ locker room on Friday afternoon ““ Black Friday ““ there was a silent frustration.
In two games ““ 80 minutes on the court at Madison Square Garden ““ the young Bruins fought hard to prove they belonged on the big stage, but they never held a single lead.
UCLA (3-2) was never able to rise above Virginia Commonwealth (4-1), and the Bruins’ 89-85 loss in the consolation round of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament left the Blue and Gold to return home winless.
“We were basically digging holes and fighting out of the holes the whole game,” junior point guard Lazeric Jones said.
The Bruins spotted the Rams an 8-0 advantage to start the game, just like they did with No. 7 Villanova when they were dealt an 80-72 loss to the Wildcats in the Wednesday semifinal.
“The whole game we were just trying to get that lead, get that lead,” junior guard Jerime Anderson said. “It’s such a huge hill to climb.”
The Bruins did have one shot that would have let them reach that peak in the final seconds.
With time running down on the clock and UCLA trailing by three points, the ball came to sophomore Reeves Nelson. The 6-foot-9 forward fired a shot from beyond the arc only to have it fall short, along with the Bruins’ hopes to salvage the trip.
A made free throw on the other end of the court sealed the win for the Rams, who were playing in the legendary arena for the first time in their program’s history as part of this tournament.
Even though he did not have a single three-point attempt last season, Nelson has said he put a lot of time into his outside shot during the offseason. That’s what junior guard Malcolm Lee was thinking when he found Nelson in the closing seconds, even though Lee was the team’s leading scorer in both of this week’s games.
“I saw Reeves was open and he’s been working a lot on his shot, so I have confidence in him,” Lee said.
UCLA had little to be grateful for this week, but Lee’s offense was still bountiful. The team’s leading returning scorer from last season, Lee started this trip with a sprained ankle but recovered fast and was the high-scorer in both games, adding 23 points on Friday afternoon.
Lee had not made a three-point basket yet this season, but nailed five on Friday, including one with just under two minutes to go that put the Bruins in striking distance. But two turnovers on the next two UCLA possessions fumbled away the Bruins’ chances again. One of those lost balls was attributed to Jones, who was not happy about his five turnovers on the night ““ nine over the two games. But his two driving baskets with less than 30 seconds on the clock made Nelson’s last-ditch attempt possible.
VCU seemed to have key shots exactly when it needed to, but the pressure on the Rams was alleviated when its offense scored early and often under the basket. Senior forward Jamie Skeen led the way with 23 points and nine rebounds, including four offensive boards.
The Rams also hit from deep when the Bruins gave them the chance, racking up 10 3-pointers in the game.
UCLA coach Ben Howland had a laundry list of items he wants fixed for his young team, but of course defense was on the top of the heap.
“We’ve got to learn and play good defense to start games to give us a chance,” Howland said.
Once again, UCLA could not catch up with its opponent’s ball screen plays.
“We just end up standing around on defense and getting there too late,” said sophomore forward Brendan Lane, who fouled out in 26 minutes trying to stop VCU’s post players.
Starting freshman center Josh Smith was not much help with just one field goal and one rebound in 13 minutes on the floor, his role forcibly limited by foul trouble once again.
“I’m just getting there late,” said Smith, who has had four fouls in every game so far this season. “It’s something I can work on.
“I can’t blame the refs,” he added. “It’s on me.”
Last season, UCLA spent Thanksgiving in Anaheim for the 76 Classic and lost all three games it played, including a 27-point loss to Portland and an 11-point defeat to Long Beach State. However, according to the Bruins that participated in both tournament shut-outs, this season’s losses don’t hurt as badly.
“Last year was a lot more frustrating,” Lane said. “This year it’s just a different feeling because we have a lot better chance of going far.”
This tournament forced Howland to account for his team’s performance for the first time this season.
“This is a process,” he said. “We’re playing without a senior on our club. … We have a lot of growth we have to make with our younger players.”
Forward Tyler Honeycutt, who had yet another double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, is just a sophomore, but is considered a veteran on a team that relies so much on youth.
“A lot of the players kind of forget the sets because it’s their first time learning them,” Honeycutt said. “But I think as time goes on we’ll become a lot better.”
Lane added a positive word as the team tries to right itself after the season’s first setbacks.
“On the bright side, we did play tough both games,” he added. “It’s a good thing to look at going into Kansas next week.”
If the early season rankings are to be believed, the No. 6 Jayhawks will be the Bruins’ strongest opponent this season. UCLA will have to work quickly to turn around its momentum, with the road rumble with Kansas set for Thursday.